Precalculus Algebra Online Course Syllabus

Transcription

1 VALENCIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE EAST CAMPUS MAC 1140 PRECALCULUS ALGEBRA (ONLINE COURSE) SYLLABUS Term/Year: Spring 2011 CRN: 22693/22954 Professor: Dr. Agatha Shaw Phone: (407) Office: Student Engagement Hours (OFFICE): Tuesday and Thursday: 11:45 AM - 2:15 AM Student Engagement Hours ( ): Monday and Wednesday: 7:45 PM - 9:15 PM Tuesday and Thursday: 9:15 AM - 9:45 AM Friday: 7:45 PM 8:45 PM Preferred Contact: Blackboard Course Mail Personal Web Page Blackboard Help (407) MyMathLab Technical Support (800) COURSE DESCRIPTION Prerequisite: A minimum grade of C in MAC 1102 or MAC 1104 or MAC 1105 or an appropriate score on an approved assessment. Topics include a symbolical, graphical and numerical analysis of trigonometric functions; solutions of plane triangles and vectors. Applications emphasizing connections with other disciplines and with the real world will be included. Technology tools will be utilized in addition to analytical methods. Gordon rule course. A Minimum grade of C is required if MAC 1140 is used to satisfy the Gordon Rule and general education requirements. REQUIRED TEXTS AND INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS Textbook: Precalculus with Modeling and visualization, 4th ed., binder version, by Gary Rockswold, Addison Wesley, 2009 (with valid MyMathLab Access Code Card.) ISBN: Please purchase your textbook at Valencia East Campus Bookstore. All students must have access to MyMathLab. Please make sure that your textbook has the valid MyMathLab access code. Note that MyMathLab is paired with CourseCompass. To register at CourseCompass, you will need an access code (purchased with your textbook above.) Calculator: TI-83/84 Plus; TI-84 Plus is recommended. This class is taught online using the required texts and instructional materials as mentioned above. You will be required to go through weekly self-paced web lectures, participate actively in the discussion forums through online study group meetings, and complete all module homework and quizzes online. In addition, you are required to take a proctored mid-term exam and a proctored comprehensive final exam at one of Page 1

2 the testing centers of Valencia Community College or a proctored site (pre-arrangement is required.) This online course requires all students to engage in threaded discussions, collaborate with peers and engage in peer review. ONLINE DELIVERY SYSTEM (COURSE PLATFORM) You will use both the Blackboard course system and a web-based math practice and tutorial system called MyMathLab. DISCUSSION FORUMS: ONLINE STUDY GROUP SESSIONS The discussion forum is a platform designed for you to collaborate (think, share and learn) with your classmates in a constructive manner. Three to five Questions will be posted each week at the discussion board that you must answer. The discussions will take many forms. All postings must be in sentence and paragraph format and also should be checked for spelling and grammar. You are required to make at least four constructive postings per module, by adding new threads and responding to your peers. When participating in a discussion forum, please conform to the rules of netiquette. The main purpose of this learning activity is to prompt you to keep up with the required readings for each module, besides creating a positive learning environment through peer group support. For each discussion forum, you are expected to make at least one original posting for the questions posted and reply to at least three peers. TIME COMMITMENT Note that an online course may need more time commitment than an onsite course. Since this is an online course, the three hours a week that you would normally use to attend lectures should be spent on online classroom activities. These include attending self-paced web lecture by going through the module handouts, PowerPoint lecture slides, and taking quizzes and exams. Any college course also requires at least two hours of study-time for every lecture hour. Thus, you should allocate at least another six hours a week on "study-time activities" such as reading your textbook, solving suggested textbook homework problems, working on assigned homework and projects, participating in your online study group sessions (make postings and respond to postings) and attempting module tests (personal mastery test.) Note: This course may take more time than you expect. To be successful in this course, please set aside at least two hours a day for a minimum of three days per week. COMMUNICATION PLAN Page 2

3 All s will be answered within 48 business hours. Weekend response time may vary. Feedback on gradable assignments: Homework Quizzes Mid-term Exam (proctored) Final Exam (proctored) Discussions (Part 1 and Part 2)* Projects (if any) within one week after due date within one week after due date * Part 1 includes discussions for the first six modules; Part 2 includes discussions for the last six modules. Please note that you are responsible for all posted announcements at Blackboard. Please try to check frequently! Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. If you ask a question (in ) that may be of interest to your classmates, I may post the question - with your name omitted - and may answer it on the discussion forum. GRADING POLICY Homework: The homework can be attempted multiple times until you achieve a mastery level of 80% or better. The last score will count as your grade. Note that you won t be able to access the respective quiz until you have achieved a mastery level of 80% or better in your homework. Please plan to start working on your homework as early as possible. Quizzes: The quizzes are timed for 60 minutes. Once started, you must complete the quiz in 60 minutes. Quizzes can be taken only twice. Note that you won t be able to access the next module until you have achieved a mastery level of 80% or better in your quiz. Do not wait until the last minute because computer problems will not be a valid excuse. Proctored Mid-term Exam: The scheduled mid-term exam is timed for two hours and should be taken at one of the testing centers of Valencia Community College or a proctored site (pre-arrangement is required.) It will be closed-book with no notes allowed. Mid-term Exam can be taken only once. Problems not answered within the time limit will be counted as incorrect. Proctored Final Exam: The scheduled final exam is timed for three hours and should be taken at one of the testing centers of Valencia Community College or a proctored site (pre-arrangement is required.) It will be closed-book with no notes allowed. Final Exam can be taken only once. Problems not answered within the time limit will be counted as incorrect. Your performance will be determined by homework, quizzes, proctored mid-term exam, proctored final exam, and discussions according to the distribution of percents as follow: Homework and Projects (if any) 30% Quizzes 20% Proctored Mid-term Exam 20% Proctored Final Exam 20% Discussions 10% Page 3

4 Total Percentage 100% EVALUATION POLICY Your final letter grade will be determined according to the scale as follow: A 90% 100% B 80% - 89% C 70% - 79% D 60 69% F 0 59% MAKE UP POLICY No make-up quiz/exam will be given. If a scheduled quiz is missed because of a medical emergency or legal situation, your last quiz score will be used in place of the missed quiz score. Only ONE quiz can be missed with a valid excuse. Please note there is no make-up mid-term exam or final exam. WITHDRAWAL POLICY Please see Important Dates for the withdrawal deadline for a W grade. Note that if lack of attendance is affecting your grade in this course, then you will be withdrawn by your professor from the course before the withdrawal deadline. After the withdrawal deadline, all students will receive the appropriate grade earned. TECHNICAL PROBLEMS Technical problems such as power outages and unavailability of internet connections can happen. Do not wait until the last minute to complete your assignments, quizzes and tests. Technical problems are not an acceptable excuse for work that has not been completed by the due date. If your computer freezes, restarts, or loses its internet connection during a quiz, the quiz will be marked as Incomplete. When you resume the quiz, your answers and remaining time will be loaded from your previous session. For MyMathLab technical support: The telephone number is Staff is available to troubleshoot your technical problem almost seven days a week. Alternatively, you may fill out the Product Support form to communicate your issue or request. Page 4

5 ACADEMIC HONESTY All students are expected to be in complete compliance with Valencia Community College s policies on academic honesty. Any form of academic dishonesty will result in an F grade for this course. VALENCIA I.D. CARDS Valencia ID cards are required in order to use the LRC, Testing Center, and IMC. ID cards are free and can be obtained from the Student Development office. VALENCIA STUDENT CORE COMPETENCIES Think: think clearly, critically, and creatively, analyze, synthesize, integrate and evaluate in many domains of human inquiry Value: make reasoned judgments and responsible commitments Act: act purposefully, effectively, and responsibly Communicate: communicate with different audiences using varied means A detailed overview can be found in the College Catalog and on the website STUDENT WITH DISABILITIES Students who qualify for academic accommodations must provide a letter from the Office for Students with Disabilities and discuss specific needs with the professor, preferably during the first two weeks of class. The Office for Students with Disabilities determines accommodations based on appropriate documentation of disabilities. The East Campus office is located in room TUTORING The Tutor Center is available within MyMathLab. There is an icon button at the top of the page. Please click the button to register for the free tutoring service. Once registered, you are ready to use this service in four ways: phone, fax, , or interactive web. The Tutor Center is open Sunday through Thursday from 5 PM - midnight (Eastern Time.) You may call them at during open hours to register or seek assistance by phone. However, you may or fax them anytime and they will respond on the next Tutor Center business day. For interactive online tutoring, you may call to arrange an appointment. Remember, it's free. You may contact the tutor up to three times per night in any combination of the following ways: By Phone: Up to 15 minutes per call. Page 5

6 By Fax: Up to 2 questions per fax. By Up to 2 questions per . By Interactive Web: 15 minutes, by appointment. In addition, Face-to-Face tutoring is available at each campus. Valencia offers free tutoring service to all students. For specific hours, please check with the Information Station on each campus. STUDENT CONDUCTS Valencia Community College is dedicated not only to the advancement of knowledge and learning but is concerned with the development of responsible personal and social conduct. By enrolling at Valencia Community College, a student assumes the responsibility for becoming familiar with and abiding by the general rules of conduct. The primary responsibility for managing the classroom environment rests with the faculty. Students who engage in any prohibited or unlawful acts that result in disruption of a class may be directed by the faculty member to leave the class. Violation of any classroom or Valencia s rules may lead to disciplinary action up to and including expulsion from Valencia. Disciplinary action could include being withdrawn from class, disciplinary warning, probation, suspension, expulsion, or other appropriate and authorized actions. You will find the Student Code of Conduct in the current Valencia Student Handbook. IMPORTANT DATES January 17: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (College Closed) January 18: Drop/Refund Deadline February 11: Learning Day (College Closed) March 7-13: Spring Break (College Closed) March 25: Withdrawal Deadline for a W Grade DISCLAIMER Changes in the syllabus, course calendar, evaluation procedure and any assignments may be made at the discretion of your professor. Page 6